


the rain and the distance between us

by lastima_lassiter



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hot Weather, M/M, Phone Calls & Telephones, overdue hugs, the weather causes problems
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:28:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27691408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lastima_lassiter/pseuds/lastima_lassiter
Summary: He didn’t mean to be cold - not on purpose, at least - he just couldn’t stand the distance between them; every vibration in his pocket and voicemail reminded Kurapika that he wasn’t 17 anymore, huddled against Leorio for warmth during the Hunter exam.Warmth. Holding each other close, always under the guise of warmth. Now, looking out the window at the stifling heat, humidity, and rain outside, Kurapika couldn’t hide behind that excuse anymore.
Relationships: Kurapika/Leorio Paladiknight
Comments: 5
Kudos: 89





	the rain and the distance between us

He wanted to ignore the call like he always did - not having the heart to decline but not feeling the need to talk, instead letting the soft vibration play out - but sitting in his small, lonely hotel room with his phone on the table in front of him, in a new city with terrible weather was making Kurapika think twice.

As if by some strange force, his idle fingers made their way to the inviting green button that would connect him to the caller. Like two opposite ends of a magnet, his index finger found its target and just as quick as the call connected he felt nerves flare under his skin.

It wasn’t that he was scared of talking to Leorio, it had just been too long. Far too long. How long had it been now, actually? Kurapika tried to think back to the last time he heard his friend’s voice but came up blank. Too long.

And it was his fault.

If Kurapika were to check his voicemail, he’d find hundreds of unreciprocated calls and unanswered questions, all from Leorio.

He didn’t mean to be cold - not on purpose, at least - he just couldn’t stand the distance between them; every vibration in his pocket and voicemail reminded Kurapika that he wasn’t 17 anymore, huddled against Leorio for warmth during the Hunter exam.

Warmth. Holding each other close, always under the guise of warmth. Now, looking out the window at the stifling heat, humidity, and rain outside, Kurapika couldn’t hide behind that excuse anymore.

He longed to be close to Leorio again and the call on the phone only deepened his yearning. He almost hung up before the voice on the other end stopped his fingers midway.

“Hello?!” The familiar voice exploded from the speakers on Kurapika’s phone. It sounded confused - shocked - as if he hadn’t expected the blonde to answer.

Kurapika stilled, disbelief at his own actions. He replied with a short “Hey, Leorio.”

A chuckle on the other end, followed by a loud “I didn’t expect you to pick up! I’ve gotten so used to chatting with your voice mail.”

Kurapika frowned, turning to look out the foggy window at the torrential rainfall outside, “I can hang up”

“No!” there was the sound of shuffling, as if Leorio was sitting up abruptly. “No, don’t. I didn't mean it like that.”

Kurapika rested his chin on the palm of his hand, unable to fight down the small smile of endearment that graced his lips. “It’s fine. I wasn’t really planning on hanging up.” It was silent for a second as Kurapika contemplated his next sentence, “It’s been a while.”

Leorio hummed and Kurapika tried to visualize what Leorio must be doing. Was he laying down? Pacing? Was his leg bouncing the way Kurapika’s did?

“A long while,” Leorio replied. “I don’t blame you. You’re busy.”

Kurapika winced and brought his hands down to his lap, making as if he was going to physically restrain his restless leg.

“You’ve been busy too, yet you’ve made time to call me.” Kurapika whispered, guilt seeping into his voice. He watched the timer on the call count the seconds, the white speaker button, and the red circle at the bottom that would put an end to this hell he’d opened up for himself.

“That’s true.” Leorio was trying to hide how bothered he really was but turns out sharing multiple life-or-death situations made Kurapika surprisingly good at reading Leorio’s tone. He wasn’t just bothered, he was angry too.

When did Leorio attempt to hide his feelings like this? Was it a Kurapika-specific case or had it been long enough since the last time they talked that Leorio adopted a new resigned personality?

Kurapika wasn’t sure he liked it. He preferred the yelling, the temper, the arguments. He preferred everything that characterized their moments together during the Hunter exam.

Maybe that was the problem. Kurapika was busy yearning for a past that wouldn’t return; meanwhile, the world was passing him by. Here he was, on a call with the man that he’s loved since he was 17, and he couldn’t even talk to him, too busy thinking about what could’ve been.

He should be grateful that he still had the opportunity to talk to him. He thought of the two people who had taken the Hunter exam with him, the two people who had met their untimely fate during the chimera ant attacks. Kurapika couldn’t even remember their names.

“Are you still there?” Leorio asked curtly.

“Yes. Sorry,” Kurapika answered, dragging himself out of his mind. “How have you been? How are your studies?”

Leorio sighed, “I graduated a few months ago. I called to tell you about it.”

Kurapika screwed his eyes shut, wanting to disappear. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Leorio answered, unconvincingly. Suddenly, the mood shifted as Leorio’s voice took on a new yet familiar inflection, “I’ve been missing you.”

Kurapika’s eyes flew open and his hands gripped the edge of the table. How many times had he dreamt of having Leorio whisper sweet nothings to him? He’d lost himself in late night reveries during missions that were painfully boring.

But he never dreamt it to be like this. Not over a phone call. He didn’t want it to be this way.

His response was a strangled cough.

Leorio was unfazed, his voice seemingly closer to the phone than before. “It’s true. I’m not going to apologize for it.” Kurapika had to intertwine his fingers to keep them from flying to the red button.

He busied himself with the world outside the windows. The storm was raging on, muffled by the soundproof windows.

“The weather here is awful,” Kurapika changed the subject, not wanting to dwell on the flurry of emotions the call was dredging up. He leaned closer to the window, admiring the lights of the city, how they kept strong despite the vicious weather.

A soft laugh from the other end of the line made Kurapika turn his head, as if Leorio had appeared in his room. He felt the urge to hang up again when the reality of being the only one in the room struck him seconds later.

“Tell me about it. It's been really hot these past few days and now there’s this gross, sticky humidity,” Leorio paused, taking a breath before continuing his rant, “and to top it all off, the power in my apartment complex decided to go out just as this insufferable heat started.”

Kurapika smiled, Leorio’s infamous temper bringing forth fond memories. He undoubtedly missed this.

“I haven’t been able to sleep on my mattress in days! Every time I go to lay down it feels like I'm suffocating so I just threw the sheets onto the floor. I'm this close to setting up a tent outside. Who cares if it’s raining.”

Kurapika’s eyes were drawn to the window again and he tilted his head, feeling the weight of his ruby earring. “What a coincidence. It’s raining here, too.”

“Oh! Where are you?” Leorio asked, the creak of a chair rising above his words.

Kurapika shook his head, lifting his hands to his eyes. His earlier exhaustion returned and the name of the city eluded him.

“Don’t know,” he answered, sighing. He didn’t look at the windows, not wanting to risk catching sight of his reflection.

“What?!” A sound of disbelief crackled from the phone’s speakers.

“Forgot the name.” Kurapika grunted. “That’s been happening a lot recently; started off with small things like forgetting to eat or shower. Now I'm so fatigued I can't remember the name of the city I’m in.”

The silence that followed was suffocating. Kurapika drew his hair back just so his hands had something to do.

“Ok first of all, those ‘small things’ you mentioned aren’t as small as you think they are. Contrary to what you may believe, basic needs are one of the highest priorities humans have.”

“Priorities,” Kurapika thought it was funny. “For me it’s more like: mission first, everything else second.” He whispered, “It’s draining.”

“Sounds like you need a vacation.” Leorio tried for a lighthearted sentiment but the worried undertones were evident.

“I'm fine.” A blatant lie.

Leorio’s voice took on the soft tone from earlier as he said, “You can’t lie to me, Kurapika. Maybe you’ve told yourself that you’re fine enough times that you believe it, but you’re definitely not. You think I haven’t been picking up on the long seconds of silence? Makes me wonder if you fell asleep as you are.”

Kurapika straightened, ignoring the fact that Leorio still knew him so well. “I’ve just been thinking.”

“Thinking? During our precious call?”

He laughed, a quick exhale through his nose, “Yeah, thinking about how much I miss you.”

It was supposed to roll with the playful tone Leorio used but maybe he had been too earnest. The honesty he was so carefully guarding had begun slipping through the cracks and Kurapika worried that if he didn’t end this soon he’d end up confessing the bottled up feelings he’s harbored for the past 2 years.

The call was silent as both boys paused, waiting, listening to the other’s breathing.

“I,” Kurapika started, shifting in the seat, “I’m sorry I didn’t say it earlier. I was shocked.”

“Shocked?” A heart-achingly soft murmur floated through the speakers.

“I didn’t know you felt the same,” he felt ridiculous. Why am I laying out all my insecurities for Leorio to see?

“You didn’t-“ Leorio was cut off by a hearty laugh, “You didn’t know if I felt the same? Shit, Kurapika, I thought I was being obvious with my daily calls.”

There was a pause, “If anything, I thought you didn’t feel the same.”

Kurapika leaned forward, blonde hair cascading through his fingers as he placed his head in his hands. “Impossible. I’ve missed you everyday since we parted ways.”

It was too late to go back now. The whirlwind of emotions that had been brewing inside him for 2 long years were tearing down the walls he had carefully built. He lowered his voice, the same way he used to whenever he wanted to talk to Leorio while Killua and Gon were sleeping.

“That’s why I never answered. I thought that maybe, if I ignored the calls, the distance between us wouldn’t be real.”

A beat passed before Kurapika spoke again.

“Sometimes it feels like being apart from you is harder than these missions,” a humorless, sarcastic laugh escaped his lips. “Finding the eyes of my clan was almost easier to deal with than this.”

He looked out the window, left hand toying with his earring. The call was silent.

It felt like forever before Leorio asked, voice urgent, “Where are you?”

Kurapika frowned, “I already told you...” Suddenly, he remembered the ticket from when he flew in earlier that day. He pulled the ticket from his coat pocket, “I don’t see how this is relevant.”

“Just tell me!” Leorio’s voice sounded farther away, as if he had put his phone on speaker and was standing across the room.

With another frown, he unfolded the wrinkled ticket and skimmed it for the city.

“Swardani. Swardani City.”

Kurapika’s declaration was punctuated by a thump from Leorio’s end. An incoherent mumble followed.

“Is that important to you?” Kurapika asked, irritation crawling up his spine. Here he is, saying all the words he’s been holding back for years, and all Leorio cares about is the city he’s in.

“I’m in Swardani right now.”

The weight of what this meant dawned on him in waves; his train of thought going from “oh” to “oh“ to jumping up, having to summon forth all his willpower to avoid running out the door.

“Are you? Where?!” Kurapika snatched up his phone, taking it off speaker and holding it to his ear.

Leorio’s laugh rang out, clear and light with joy. “Why? Are you planning on going out in this storm?”

The storm. Kurapika had completely forgotten about it. With one glance at the window, he answered, voice void of hesitation, “Yes.”

“I’ll send you my address.”

Kurapika held the phone away from his ear as he felt the vibration of a notification come through. He read the address, the names and letters meaningless.

Opening up the GPS app, he typed in the address with trembling fingers. This was it. This was the moment he had longed for since Yorknew City.

Once the route was mapped out, Kurapika wasted no time in running out of the hotel room, making sure to lock the door behind him before sprinting down the stairs, too restless to take the elevator. It was only until he reached the lobby that he remembered he was still on a call. He lifted the phone to his ear.

“...you’re not going to get sick but I’m pretty sure my landlord wouldn’t like it if you dragged in your body weight in water.”

“Uh...” Kurapika furrowed his brows at the conversation Leorio was having with himself. He made his way through the revolving glass doors of the hotel, immediately realizing how much he underestimated the weather.

What seemed like an awful but tolerable storm from the safety of his hotel room was actually a powerful downpour that drowned out Leorio’s next words. Kurapika adjusted the volume on his phone as he paused under the overhang.

“You’re already outside, aren’t you? Did you even hear a single word I said?” Leorio feigned annoyance but affection seeped through his words.

“No.” Kurapika replied, letting Leorio guess what question he answered.

A heavy sigh, “Just be careful, alright?”

The simple words brought forth a soft warmth in Kurapika's chest. He felt it course through his veins and color his cheeks. The air around him felt slightly warmer. He had heard the same sentence countless times before but they were always said to him by his boss, right before going off on a dangerous mission. The words “be careful” sound so different coming from someone you love.

“Yeah,” Kurapika promised, “I will be.”

A soft beep signaled the end of their call and he took a few steps closer to the edge of the shadows, bracing himself for his dash through the rain. He had a pretty good idea of the route but he kept his phone gripped tightly in his hand, just in case.

His eyes watched the sheets of water that fell from the gray sky. He was tempted to look for an alternate route but didn’t allow himself to dwell on it for too long; after a few steadying breaths, he was racing out into the rain.

Holding an arm up against the wind, Kurapika ran past the towering buildings of the unfamiliar city. He cringed as he stepped into a particularly deep puddle, feeling the slime of the city splash up to his midcalf. Despite everything, he kept running. There was no way he was letting the weather get between him and Leorio.

A right. Straight ahead for a while. A left. A near-collision with the only car out on the street. His surroundings melded into a gray blur and time followed shortly after. He had been running for ages when he came upon the final stretch before Leorio’s apartment. He picked up the pace, half running, half skidding across the pavement. His momentum nearly sent him sliding past the entrance, but with a graceful pivot he managed to turn and latch onto the door handle, glad it wasn’t another set of revolving doors.

It wasn’t until Kurapika entered the dark lobby that the realization of what he had just done hit him. He lifted a hand to his lips, hiding a lopsided smile. I ran through the rain to see a boy. He shook his head. How cliche is that?

“Hey! Are you here to see someone or do you plan on standing there all day, dripping over my carpets?” 

A sharp voice directed Kurapika’s attention to the only source of light in the room: a small candle on the receptionist’s desk.

“Oh, yeah.” He took a few steps forward. “Where’s-” Shit. He didn’t know Leorio’s room number. He brought his phone up to his face, unsuccessfully attempting to wipe away the water droplets that dotted the screen. He typed out a quick message to Leorio.

What’s your room number?

Kurapika watched the ellipsis bubble appear, then disappear, then reappear.

you’re here already? how’s my landlord?

Kurapika looked up, turning his head to face the man behind the desk. He was peering at Kurapika over the rim of his glasses, brow furrowed and mouth set in a thin line. Kurapika tried for a small smile before returning his attention to his phone.

Like he wants to kill me. Tell me your room number before he kicks me out.

This message came faster.

212

Kurapika didn’t bother thanking him, instead turned to the man. “Room 212?”

The man leaned forward, inspecting the blonde. Kurapika self-consciously lifted a hand to his soaked hair, pushing it back. His wet bangs stuck to his forehead and he combed through them with nimble fingers.

“Go on up.” The man finally said, seemingly satisfied with his inspection. He leaned back in his chair and pointed to the left of the reception desk.

“Thanks,” Kurapika murmured, giving the man one last glance over his shoulder as he walked up the stairs. Once he was sure he was out of view, he clambered up the steps, nearly faceplanting a couple of times.

He reached the second floor landing and made his way down the eerie hallway. Unlike the lobby, the second floor didn't have a single source of light; Kurapika resorted to using his phone’s flashlight. 

The beam of light caught on the numbers 212, bold and brazen on the wooden door. Chills shot down his spine and he gave a quick tremble. Curse the rain.

Just as he lifted his hand to knock, the door swung inward, revealing a tall man with dark hair and stubble dotting the lower half of his face. Kurapika was frozen in place, having to crane his neck up ever so slightly just to meet the man’s dark eyes, shining brightly in the glare from the flashlight.

The blonde let his eyes scan the man’s body, taking in what he was wearing. A white muscle tank and shorts that hung loose around his waist.

“Uh,” Kurapika started dumbly, looking back up to the man’s eyes. It was too much. It was all too much. He looked down at his phone’s black screen, expecting the tantalizing display of an ongoing call. It wasn't there. This was real.

“Don’t recognize me? Has it really been that long?” Leorio teased, a playful smile on his lips.

Kurapika didn’t respond and couldn't bring himself to move. He thought of all the scenarios he’d imagined of him and Leorio meeting again. He thought it’d be like old times but standing outside Leorio’s room, in the dark hallway, with the distance of years between them, it was all too much, too soon. He thought of his mission tomorrow. What the hell am I doing here?

“You’re doing it.” Leorio’s voice was warm and Kurapika was so, so cold. “You’re spiraling.”

A firm hand on his shoulder grounded him. Kurapika looked up through his curtain of wet bangs, eyes catching on the affectionate look in Leorio’s eyes. That single touch ignited a fire within Kurapika and suddenly he was moving too fast. He slammed into Leorio’s chest, messily throwing his arms around his shoulders and burying his face into his neck; he had to stand on the tips of his toes.

“Is this real?” Kurapika asked, breathlessly. He couldn’t help the way his body was shaking all over. Fuck the rain.

Leorio’s body rumbled with a laugh, “It’s real.” He embraced Kurapika’s trembling frame with his arms, resting his chin atop the younger boy’s head. “It’s real,” he whispered again.

This is real. Kurapika, Leorio, holding each other close once again. No need to lie about the weather. It was real.


End file.
